Kathua rape case: PDP wants two BJP ministers out, may break alliance

New Delhi: The uneasy alliance between People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP may be nearing an end in Jammu and Kashmir with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reportedly demanding that two BJP ministers in the cabinet be removed for allegedly instigating protests against investigations in the Kathua rape case.

PDP has demanded that forest minister Chaudhary Lal Singh and industries and commerce minister Chander Prakash Ganga be removed for their alleged support and participation in protests against investigations into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl. in Kathua. The two had reportedly attended an event organised by Hindu Ekta Manch, an outfit that protested against the intial arrests made in the case. It is because of this that the PDP-BJP alliance – already on shaky grounds – may well crumble.

CM Mufti is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting of her party on Saturday to decide the future of alliance with BJP.

The rape and murder of the eight-year-old child has rocked the entire country. Accusations have flown thick and fast protests for a thorough probe in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country. Expressing her concerns over the brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in the Kathua district, Mufti took to Twitter earlier on Friday and assured that her government will ensure that no other child will ever face such brutality and atrocity.